Foster mother blamed for depriving the child from eating properly, and giving him pills to make him sick after food.

Third or less the normal weight for a boy of his age. Picture: MK

Valery Kondourov was rushed 5,904 kilometres from his home in Magadan to Moscow for urgent treatment after the emaciated boy was found to be 'close to death'.

He was one third or less the normal weight for a boy of his age.

Years of 'food deprivation torture' meant he was just 104 cm tall - 3ft 5 inches, more usual for a child aged 5 or 6.

A criminal probe will examine whether she was starving him to claim social benefits and charitable donations.

A criminal probe will examine whether the boy was starved to claim social benefits and charitable donationsor. Pictures: REN TV

His foster mother - who has not been named and was described as 'excellent' by local child car officials - was found to have scared the boy so much that he would not eat in her presence.

When she first fostered him aged three he was described as 'normal'. She home schooled the boy so teachers did not see his condition.

Shocked Moscow psychologist Svetlana Suleimanova said: 'Doctors invited me to inspect the boy. They said they did not find any illnesses but registered strange behaviour.

'The boy quickly ate everything as soon as his mother left the room, but when she was present, he was naughty and said that he was not hungry.

'He confessed to me later that his mother forced him to say he did not have any appetite.

'She punished him if he did not obey. She was also giving him some pills and he was always vomiting afterwards.'

The boy is getting better now. Pictures: MK

The foster mother and her husband are now under criminal investigation for their treatment of Valery.

The psychologist has offered to raise the boy.

He remains in hospital in Moscow and has already put on another 7 kg.

'He is calling me all the time, telling me about himself, and how he wants to live in a family. I can't betray this child now.

'He says he understands that this ex-parents did not treat him well, so he does not want to live with them again.'

Suleimanova has raised 8 foster children in addition to having 5 of her own.

The psychologist has offered to raise the boy. Picture: REN TV

Maxim Ladzin, advisor to the children's ombudsman, said: 'Having got to know about this case, we went to the hospital, talked to doctors, and invited psychologists to examine the boy.

'All his intellectual abilities are normal, he would not lie for the sake of it, so we do not doubt his words about his treatment by his foster parents.

'We have contacted childcare authorities in Magadan and got excellent comments about the boy's mother. They said: 'She deserves a monument for what she has done. We are worried about their professionalism now.

'A criminal investigation was open against them in Magadan. The foster parents were in touch with me earlier but vanished as soon as they heard about the preliminary police checks and possible accusation of an attempt on the life of their underage son.

'We know that the boy's father was a guard in a shopping centre and earlier a driver. His mother is a housekeeper.

'They have an adult son who lives with them, and an adult daughter who lives in Moscow.'

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Comments (6)

Well sadly it sounds as those there are monsters living in other countries and not just the US. I have a degree in Psychology and for the life of me I CANNOT figure out how human beings get like this. They KNOW it's wrong. They KNOW they're being horrible. I think they become so obsessed about the power they have over someone who is so much weaker and unable to defend themselves it grows like a parasite in them completely out of control. It's almost as if they get high on the power they have. I just can't be cruel to people or animals. They need to track this piece of trash down and lock her up. They ALSO need to check out the poor excuse for the foster care workers checking out this woman. They're in some sort of scam or dirty dealings for sure. There is something that definitely stinks in that department and it isn't the trashcans. In this day and age, here in the 21st century people on this planet KNOW better. There are no longer any excuses for this type of behavior.

basketpam, Smithsburg, Maryland USA

03/06/2017 08:49

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Psychologist Suleimanova is a wonderful person and a true hero. That child is very fortunate to have her on his side in his life.

Phil, Olympia/USA

31/05/2017 04:05

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Homeschooling is quite widespread in Russia. I think there's a condition that says they must attend school for about a week each year, but this may vary from one area to another. The Old Believers home educate their children too.

Mihaela, Orhei, Moldova

29/05/2017 17:27

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i thought home schooling was not allowed in Russia?

Morak Benedikt, Moscow

22/05/2017 18:17

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Lock her up for 30 years!

Joe, Poolesville/USA

21/05/2017 07:19

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What a sad start in life.

Why don´t you start a donation campaign here and even the odds out a little ?

Peter, Germany

19/05/2017 17:59

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